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Skills and Qualifications
Highly skilled workers are productive, innovative and adaptable.
Statistics show that:
- Almost two million employees in England are considered by
their employers not to be fully proficient at their own jobs
- One in five employers identify 'a skills gap' between skills
their staff have and what the business needs(Employer Skills
Survey, 1999 - England only)
National Skills Academies
In July 2005, the Government published a Prospectus setting out
its proposals for a network of 12 National Skills Academies by
2008.
National Skills Academies will be sector-led national centres
of excellence which will provide an opportunity for employers
to develop a national response to meeting their sector's skills
needs.
The prospectus invited expressions of interest from employers
to develop the first four National Skills Academies that will
open in September 2006. The deadline for proposals ended on 9
September and an employer-led panel and officials from the Department
for Education and Skills (DfES), DTI, the Learning and Skills
Council and the Sector Skills Development Agency assessed the
proposals and made recommendations to DfES Ministers.
Four successful sponsors were announced by DfES and DTI Ministers
on 31 October. These are Constructionskills, Financial Services,
Improve and SEMTA. These sponsors will now be supported through
the business planning by the LSC, SSDA and relevant Government
Departments.
Opportunities within the workforce
The majority of training provided by employers last year was
on-the-job. Developing employees' skills will not require them
to be away from the workplace.
The 'Skills
for Life' strategy was launched in September 2001 to improve
adult basic skills, develop lower skilled employees, and encourage
lifelong learning.
The strategy has a strong focus on helping employers and includes
workplace brokers, piloting of best practice approaches, an employer
toolkit, and advice specially developed for small firms. An increasing
number of Union Learning Representatives are also being trained
specifically to have an awareness of basic skills.
There are currently six workforce development pilots, which provide
time-off for employees without basic skills or level 2 qualifications
to study, and compensation for employers who allow their staff
to do so.
Case study: "Union helps
members return to learning"
Developments within education
There have recently been significant changes to post-16 qualifications,
many of which were introduced in September 2000.
The post-16 skills and education
factsheet 
(82Kb) explains the various development opportunities now available
including vocational GCSEs and modern apprenticeships.
Many initiatives encourage enterprise and financial literacy
at a young age, by promoting science, technology, engineering
and mathematical (STEM) skills as a foundation for careers based
on innovation and entrepreneurship.
SETNET,
with its UK-wide network of SETpoints, allows every child under
16 to take part at least once in an appropriate STEM activity
chosen from the 1,200+ schemes, awards and competitions on offer
by the end of March 2004.
The Sciences and Engineering Ambassadors (SEAs) programme enables
people already in STEM-based careers to visit educational establishments
and encourage others to follow them.
Strong links are being developed between local schools, FE colleges,
universities and businesses. These partnerships promote education
as a tool for career prospects.
Case Study: "Business backed
college at cutting edge of developing technology"
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